Each Home Counts Newsletter 24 June 2016

The outcome of recent discussions with Ministers and across Government highlights the continued progress we are making on finalising the Review report.

As we move towards publishing the report, we may not have all the answers but what we will have is a good strong foundation for implementing the recommendations.

We are still negotiating a publication date and will let you know when that will be in due course.

The Review Report

The Review offers a real opportunity to shape the future delivery of energy efficiency and renewable energy installations.

The outcome of the Review aims to establish a better quality and standards framework and develop a trusted, sustainable retrofit sector with the consumer at its centre.

The publication of the Review report is the beginning, not the end, of the process. The proposed recommendations will take time to be put in place, with continuous improvement needed in the long term to keep up with best practice, new technologies, and the changing behaviours and preferences of consumers.

The recommendations do provide a robust foundation for developing the detail around their implementation. The continual support and involvement from across the industry during the Review is really evident and appreciated. Through this, the “action orientated” approach to the review has enabled a series of quick wins e.g. increased access to EPC data to be achieved that can be built on going forward.

This week…. Next week…..

· On Monday 20th June the Review team attended a cross government meeting to discuss the Review findings.

· A meeting with the Housing Association Group was held on Wednesday 22nd June to discuss social housing, energy efficiency and heat. Elaine took the opportunity to update the group on the Review report.

Peter and Alison attended a meeting of the Building Regulation Advisory Committee (BRAC) on Wednesday 22nd June to present the Review outcomes.

Future events

Advice and Guidance workshop

Late July/early August 2016

Skills & training workshop

Wednesday 17th August 2016

Home Energy Technologies workshop

Early September 2016

Home Energy Technologies: Workstream stakeholder meeting

Representatives of the Home Energy technologies industry were invited to a stakeholder event in the BIS conference centre on Wednesday 15th June, chaired by Dr Howard Porter.

The purpose of the meeting was to outline the main proposals currently under consideration by the Review, in particular the suggested role of the data warehouse and the proposals for a quality mark

Role of datawarehouse

The suggested role of the data warehouse proposed by the Review was discussed. Dr Howard Porter outlined the possibility for collating existing data on energy efficiency measures and other related information for properties within the warehouse and the potential opportunities that this would bring for consumers, installers and product suppliers to better target energy efficiency opportunities.

Quality Mark

The proposals for a quality mark for the whole industry was welcomed with a little caution, all attendees believing that the principle was valid, but some highlighting that some industry sectors already operate under a well-developed and professional system.

Going forward, these examples should be used as exemplars for other less well developed sectors, under the umbrella of the proposed quality scheme to enable the entire industry to operate to the same quality standards.

It was also strongly suggested that there should be a reduction in bureaucracy as a consequence of implementing the Review recommendations, not an increase and also reducing, not increasing costs for the industry, whilst providing a level playing field for all.

All the attendees agreed that the different product sectors needed to work together post the publication of the Review.

An initial implementation meeting for all the relevant sectors was suggested for early September, the first likely opportunity. The group would assess the key recommendations of the Review from a product perspective, and decide what measures the industry needed to advance and over what timescale.